Web of Deceit

Agricola

The Roman commander who conquered Britain during the first century AD. Among other atrocities attributed to him was the mass murder of the Druid population who had been driven from Britain to Mona Island off the coast of Wales.

Ambrosius

Also known as Ambrosius Aurelianus or Ambrosius Imperator, he was the son of Constantine III and the brother of Constans II and Uther Pendragon, all of whom were, at various times, High Kings of the Britons. According to the legend, Constans II was succeeded in turn by Vortigern, Ambrosius, Uther and Arthur.

Andrewina Ruadh

Also known as Bridei (Pict). As a young girl, Ruadh is captured by the Picts, marries Garnaid and bears his children. Later, she is captured by the Celts when King Talorc is defeated in a battle with the forces of Prince Luka of the Brigante. She becomes the concubine of King Ambrosius and, later, of Myrddion Merlinus. She is an essential character in the birth and rescue of the babe, Artorex, from the clutches of Uther Pendragon.

Annwynn

A female healer who resides in Segontium. She is the original master of Myrddion Merlinus.

Ardabur Aspar

Flavius Ardabur Aspar, Magister Militum of Constantinople, made a clandestine visit to Britain approximately 435AD. Shipwrecked and washed up on a remote beach outside of Segontium, he was rescued by Branwyn, a royal princess. He raped her and she became pregnant with Myrddion Merlinus.

Artorex/Artor:

The legitimate son of Uther Pendragon, High King of the Britons, and Ygerne, widow of Gorlois, the King of Cornwall.

Aude

Aude is one of the women who is recruited into Myrddion’s household as a servant woman. She is placed in charge of the cleanliness of the house, bandages and medications used by the healers. She had previously been a prostitute.

Berwyn

A female gardener at the House of Healers. She is disfigured by a strawberry mark across her face.

Bors

The nephew and successor of King Gorlois of Cornwall.

Botha

A senior officer in the service of Uther Pendragon. He is oath-bound to the High King for life.

Bouddicca

The Iceni queen who led a revolt against the Romans in the region surrounding Londinium.

Brangaine

A camp follower whose husband died in the service of King Vortigern, she becomes an assistant to Myrddion Merlinus and travels to Constantinople with the party of healers. She adopts two children during the journey.

Branwyn

The daughter of Olwyn and Godric, and granddaughter of Melvig ap Melwy, king of the Deceangli Tribe. She is the mother of Myrddion Merlinus after suffering rape at the hands of Flavius Ardabur Aspar.

Bridie

Like Brangaine, she is one of Myrddion’s assistants who travels to Constantinople. She marries Finn Truthteller and bears a child to him. Myrddion agrees to accompany Uther to Venta Belgarum if Bridie and Finn are permitted to return to Segontium.

Brychan

‘Fat-Arse Brychan’, as he is called, is a slovenly innkeeper at Tomen-y-Mur. Myrddion stays here when he visits his mother. He also uses this inn to meet with the ex-slave, Gruffydd, who is part of Myrddion’s spy network.

Bryn ap Synnel

Father of Llanwith pen Bryn, later to become mentor to King Arthur.

Cadoc ap Cadwy

A warrior in Vortigern’s service who comes from the Forest of Dean. He becomes Myrddion’s assistant and accompanies the healer on the journey to Constantinople and later follows him to the court of King Ambrosius.

Cait

The serving girl at Brychan’s inn at Tomen-y-Mur. She is Brychan’s bastard daughter.

Carwen

A prostitute in Aquae Sulis who seduces Myrddion Merlinus.

Carys

Daughter of Calgacus Minor, the son of Calgacus Major, King of the Novantae Tribe. Uther’s concubine, she is murdered by the High King.

Cathan

Cathan is an infant found under a pile of dead bodies at the wall at Verulamium when the common folk who lived outside the town walls were slaughtered by the Saxons. Brangaine becomes the child’s foster mother.

Catigern

The illegitimate second son of King Vortigern who is killed by Hengist in revenge for his brother’s murder on the Night of the Long Knives.

Ceridwen

A Celtic enchantress. She possesses the Cauldron of Poetic Inspiration.

Cletus One Ear

Husband of Fillagh, and brother-in-law of Olwyn. He is a successful farmer, and lives with Fillagh on a farm near Caer Fyrddin. Along with his son, he becomes part of Myrddion’s spy network.

Constans II

High King of the Britons and elder brother of Ambrosius and Uther. He was murdered by Vortigern and his throne was stolen.

Don

The Celtic goddess representing the Mother. Out of superstition, her name was rarely spoken aloud. She develops some of the characteristics of the Roman goddess as well.

Dyfri

A male servant at the House of Healers. He works in the scriptorium and is trained as a herb-master responsible for potions and herbs.

Fillagh

Aunt Fillagh is the younger sister of Myrddion’s grandmother, Olwen. She assisted with his birth and gave sanctuary to Branwyn and Olwen in her home at Caer Fyrddin.

Finn (Truthteller)      

Finn is Myrddion’s apprentice who travels with the healer to Constantinople. He marries Bridie.

Fionnuala

Fionnuala is the wife of Gron, the owner of The Flower Maiden Inn, which is situated just within the walls of Verulamium. Myrddion’s party breaks a journey here and they are trapped here during a Saxon raid.

Flavia

One of Myrddion’s great loves who betrays him and becomes a concubine of his father, Flavius Ardabur Aspar.

Flavius Aetius

Aetius, the last great general of the Roman Empire, was murdered by the Emperor Valentinian. With a coalition force of 200,000 Visigoth, Frank and Roman warriors, he fought an army of twice that size under the command of Attila the Hun at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains near Châlons. The battle took approximately one day, and he fought Attila’s forces to a standstill in one of the world’s greatest battles of all time.

Fortuna

The Roman goddess of chance or luck.

Gawayne

Son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, brother of Agravaine and Geraint.

Geoffrey

Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote a number of works including
The History of the Kings of Britain
and the Vita Merlini. His writings are influential in that they are believed to be copies of far earlier works that have been lost over time.

Goll

Goll is a humble shepherd who tends his sheep near Tomen-y-Mur. He gives information to Myrddion about his master, Maelgwr, who is Branwyn’s husband.

Gorlois

The Boar of Cornwall who is the king of the Dumnonii tribe. He is married to Ygerne, and is the father of Morgan and Morgause.

Gron

Gron is the gloomy, pessimistic landlord of The Flower Maiden, an inn just within the walls of Verulamium.

Gruffydd

A Celtic warrior who is taken into captivity by the Saxons. A fluent Saxon speaker, he becomes central to Myrddion’s spy network and later becomes an aide to Uther Pendragon and King Arthur.

Hengist

A Saxon aristocrat who serves under Vortigern as a mercenary for a number of years. He eventually rejoins the Saxons and becomes the Thane of the Kentish Saxons and, later, rules the lands to the north of the Wash.

Horsa

Horsa is the brother of Hengist. He was treacherously murdered by the Celts in an incident that resulted in the famed Night of the Long Knives. In the Saxon histories, he is linked in legend to the horse.

Hrothnar

A Saxon bully who holds the post of docks master in Dubris.

Leonates

Leonates is the king of the Dobunni Tribe. They are notable for their Roman, epicurean habits.

Llanwith pen Bryn

Son of Bryn ap Synnell. He becomes a mentor to King Arthur.

Lot

King of the Otadini tribe north of Hadrian’s Wall. He is the husband of Morgause.

Lucius

The Bishop of Glastonbury.

Luka

Prince of the Brigante tribe. He becomes a mentor to King Arthur.

Madoc pen Madar

Ex-king of the Cantii tribe. He is the Seneschal in the court of Ambrosius.

Maelgwn

Elder brother of Maelgwr. He is the first husband of Branwyn.

Maelgwr

Brother of Maelgwn. He becomes Branwyn’s second husband.

Magnus Maximus

The legendary Roman ruler of Britain. The grandfather of Ambrosius.

Maerwen (Grannie)

A widow who is employed by Myrddion to care for his mother, Branwyn, after she is saved from ill-treatment at the hands of his stepfather, Maelgwr.

Melvig ap Melwy

The king of the Deceangli Tribe. He is the father of Olwyn, grandfather of Branwyn and great-grandfather of Myrddion Merlinus.

Melvyn ap Melvig

He is the son of Melvig, and succeeds him on the throne.

Mithras

An obscure deity in Zoroastrianism. He represents the father figure and was adopted as the warrior god of the Roman soldiery.

Morgan

Eldest daughter of Gorlois and Ygerne, sister to Morgause and half-sister to Arthur, who becomes High King of the Britons.

Morgause

Daughter of Gorlois and Ygerne, sister to Morgan and half-sister to King Arthur. Husband of King Lot and mother of Agravaine, Gawaine and Geraint.

Muirne (Sea Bright)

Wise woman in Venta Belgarum who is an advisor to Uther Pendragon.

Myrddion Merlinus

Myrddion is the modern-day Merlin. He is named after the Sun, and his name means Lord of Light. He is often referred to in the legends as the Demon Seed.

Olwyn

Daughter of Melvig ap Melwy, husband of Eddius, mother of Branwyn and grandmother of Myrddion. She dies at the hands of King Vortigern.

Pascent

Real name is Vengis. He is the eldest son of King Vortigern and Rowena, a Saxon princess.

Paulus

The bishop of Venta Belgarum.

Praxiteles

Praxiteles is Myrddion’s personal assistant. They met in Constantinople after the servant lost his trading empire through misadventure. He is a member of the Scipio family.

Pridenow

Father of Queen Ygerne of Cornwall.

Rhedyn

One of Myrddion’s female assistants. She travels to Constantinople with Myrddion’s party of healers.

Rowena

The second wife of King Vortigern. She is of Saxon descent and is the mother of Vengis and Katigern. She is poisoned by Uther Pendragon.

Seirian

A red-haired servant who is the lover of Maelgwr, the husband of Myrddion’s mother, Branwyn.

Septimus

Septimus is the captain of a century hired by Uther Pendragon to fight at Verulamium.

Targo

A mercenary in Ambrosius’s army at the Battle of Verulamium. He will later become the mentor of King Arthur.

Thorketil

The Saxon thane who wins a major battle at Verulamium. He is later defeated by an army led by Ambrosius and Uther Pendragon.

Ulfin

A warrior in Uther Pendragon’s guard.

Uther Pendragon

The son of Constantine III and the brother of Constans II and Ambrosius Aurelianus, all of whom were to become High Kings of the Britons. Constans II was succeeded in turn by Vortigern, Ambrosius, Uther and Arthur. Uther, in company with Ambrosius, returned to Britain after many years in exile.

Vortigern

The High King of the northern Britons of Cymru some generations before the emergence of Ambrosius, Uther Pendragon and Arthur. He is remembered as the monarch who welcomed the Saxons to migrate into Britain to appease his Saxon queen, Rowena.

Vortimer

Son of King Vortigern and brother of Catigern. They are half-brothers of Vengis and Katigern.

Willa

An orphan child who travels with Myrddion to Constantinople. She was found as one of the few survivors of the battle of Tornai that was put to the sword by Attila the Hun.

Ygerne

Ygerne is the wife of Gorlois, the Boar of Cornwall. After his death, she marries Uther Pendragon. She is the natural mother of King Arthur.